Amanda LaValle, Ulster County's new Department of the Environment coordinator, is already establishing the focal points of her work, according to the Daily Freeman.

Ulster CountyFirst and foremost will be to define a clear role for the department by identifying which environmental needs are currently being overlooked. Second, is to preserve open space as the county faces increasing development pressure. Third is to have the county government and local towns cooperate and coordinate their efforts.

"How we choose to develop in the future needs a lot of consideration," LaValle told the Freeman.

The Department of the Environment was created earlier this year, to bring the county's environmental work under a single umbrella agency.